Three public hearings will start this week’s regular session of the Holland City Council.

The city council meeting will be at 7 a.m. Wednesday in the council chambers at city hall, 270 S. River Ave.

The first public hearing will address an ordinance one year in the making that could allow the keeping of backyard chickens. The request started as a plea from Kent and Mary Jagnow to keep one chicken they dubbed “Foggy” as a pet. Under the city’s keeping of animals ordinance, that currently is not allowed.

If the vote by city council following the hearing is favorable, urban chicken keeping for the sake of eggs and meat could be allowed in the city with several restrictions and rules. Those rules include a proper coop, setbacks from neighbors, a permit and a limit on the number of chickens that can be kept.

Later in the meeting, the city will address the proposed permit fee for keeping chickens. The recommendation is $25 for the first three years and $15 for renewal.

A second public hearing will address the removal of graffiti from private homes and businesses. The ordinance was proposed as a way to make sure the graffiti was cleaned up in a timely manner to prevent further tagging of the same spot. Graffiti is used by gangs to essentially mark their territory. The proposed ordinance would ticket the property owner if the graffiti is not cleaned up and bill the owner for the costs to the city of a city crew has to be sent out to clean it up.

A third public hearing will address street performers who perform at the Holland Farmers Market. It does not affect those who perform at downtown Holland’s popular Street Performers series that runs on Thursdays through the summer. The change to the ordinance would require those performing at the market to buy a weekly permit. Those who drafted the change hope the permit will curb breaking of rules by some of the performers.

Also Wednesday, the council will consider a recommendation from the Holland Board of Public Works board of Directors for the purchase of the combustion turbine generator for the proposed new natural gas power plant at a cost of $37.7 million. The overall project is expected to cost roughly $200 million.